


A Monumentally Terrible Idea

by cmk418



Category: Oz (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-31
Updated: 2014-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:34:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27929092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cmk418/pseuds/cmk418
Summary: Written for the 2014 OZ Prompt-a-thon for the prompt: Tim realizes that the reason he's so bad at relationships with women is because he's in love with his best friend. Could he be better with a man? Even if he could persuade Sean to give him a chance?Told from Sean's POV because that's how the characters behaved.
Relationships: Sean Murphy/Original Male Character, Tim McManus/Sean Murphy





	A Monumentally Terrible Idea

For a first date, Sean thought it was going very well. He’d met Jason when he brought Rebadow into Benchley Memorial for a couple of tests that couldn’t be done in the prison. The twenty-two year-old nurse had flirted with Sean as he waited and asked for his number before Sean headed back to the prison. Coordinating a next meeting took some effort with both of their schedules, but drinks turned into dinner turned into “coffee” with the two of them heading right for the sheets. Sean hadn't ’had this much fun on a date in a long time.

When he was right on the edge of sleep, the phone rang. He groaned, recognizing the ringtone, grabbed the phone and moved out into the hallway. Jason had stirred, but was still asleep.

“Are you hurt?” Sean asked.

“Hi.” Tim’s voice came through loud and clear.

 _Oh god, he’s drunk. He’s drunk and I’m going to have to pick him up._ “Where are you?”

“I’m at home. In bed. It’s two-oh-seven in the morning, Sean. Where else am I supposed to be?”

“Asleep.”

“Couldn’t sleep. I had an idea about something and…”

“Can we go over this tomorrow?” Normally, he would be patient and hear Tim’s crazy theories out, no matter what hour it was, but it just wasn’t happening tonight.

“Later today,” Tim said.

“Yeah, right.” _In five fucking hours._

Sean’s morning was consumed between breaking up fistfights between inmates and trying to stay awake during a discussion on the change of health care providers for the state prison system (he was glad he was healthy.) At lunchtime, he checked his messages, grinning as he read a text from Jason who wanted to get together again soon.

“So, McManus is sexting now,” declared Claire.

Sean looked up at her. “Who is he sexting?”

“Oh, come on. You’re reading a text and blushing. He’s giving you bedroom eyes all during the staff meeting.”

“Bullshit. Ellie was sitting next to me.”

“Yeah, and when she left, he was still making eyes in your direction.”

“Who knows why Tim does what he does.”

“So why are you grinning like an idiot?”

“I’m having a good day.”

“They just told us that our insurance premiums are going to double and you’re having a good day. Yep, you fucked him.”

“Think what you want, Claire.”

He left the break room and headed back to Em City. He watched the comings and goings of the inmates, most of whom were crowded around the television watching “Miss Sally’s Schoolyard”. It was a pleasant change from the morning. He glanced in the direction of Tim’s office and met the gaze of the Unit Manager who was standing at his office window. Tim gave Sean a small wave and then retreated out of view. Sean shook his head. It was weird, but Tim got weird sometimes, especially when he was between relationships.

He didn’t see Tim again until he was getting ready to go home. “Hey,” Tim said. “You want to come over and watch the basketball game tonight?”

“Can’t tonight. Got some errands to run.” Actually, he was going to meet Jason. He didn’t know why he didn’t tell Tim about the other man. Other than to avoid a whole lot of ribbing about cradle-robbing.

Tim looked a little down at his statement and Sean hated to see it. But then again, he was done being Tim’s replacement relationship. It never failed – once Tim’s last relationship skidded to a halt, he’d be seeking out Sean’s company until the next girl came along. And there always was a next girl.

“How about next week when they play the Clippers?”

“Sure. Next week. Fine.”

Sean could tell by the tone of Tim’s voice that he needed to get out of there immediately or else face a full-blown pouting fit. Tim could be worse than a three year-old sometimes. He put on his biggest smile and said, “Good. It’s a date.”

He was sure that he imagined Tim’s groan as he walked out the door.

Two days later, he was enjoying his coffee break with Gloria and Eleanor when Tim walked into the break room. Tim poured himself a cup of coffee and then asked, “Anybody want any more? Sean?”

Sean noticed the two women shared a smile, one of those that made it seem like he was missing something huge. “No, I’m good. Thanks. My time’s about up anyway.” He shoved his chair away from the table and left the room.

Later that day, Tim caught up with Sean in the gym, where Sean was taking his aggression out on the heavy bag. “I was thinking about the boxing program. Maybe with the group of prisoners we have now and some additional rules in place, we might be able to convince Querns to reinstitute it.”

“You know how he feels about violence. You’d be better off pitching him experimental aging drugs. Dead prisoners are quiet prisoners," Sean said throwing his weight into a punch.

“When’s your shift over? I thought we might grab a drink.”

“Not tonight.”

“We still on for next week?”

“Yes.”

“Good night,” said Tim.

It didn’t escape Sean’s attention that Tim had taken his place at the heavy bag, throwing a few jabs at it. Sean could tell by the way the bag didn’t move that Tim’s heart wasn’t really in it. Sean watched for a few seconds and then headed back to work.

Part of the problem with dating someone more than two decades younger than him is that once the sex was done, the realization that they had very little in common settled in fairly quickly. The sex was good. Sean enjoyed it, but he knew that he wanted something more.

He wanted someone that he could communicate in shorthand with. Not having to define things that come from fifty years of experience. He needed to look for someone his own age.

Maybe he’d ask Tim what dating site he was using and then see if it had a gay counterpart.

The night of the Clippers game arrived and Sean went to Tim’s apartment as planned. Tim had taken off of work early and apparently went home and cooked. Sean had expected take-out pizza and beer, not steak and loaded baked potatoes. “What’s the occasion?” he asked.

“Does there have to be one?”

 _With you? Yes_. Sean took a sip from the glass of bourbon that Tim had placed in his hand as soon as he arrived. It was all so formal and so _weird_. Tim had been in relationship droughts before but all of this was a little unprecedented.

“Relax,” Tim said, looking a little on the nervous side himself. “Sit down, enjoy your dinner. I promise I didn’t poison it.”

Sean took a bite of steak. It was good. “When did you learn to cook like this?” he asked. He knew that Tim was a decent grill-master from thirty years of camping trips, but he hadn’t seen Tim use his culinary skills for anything other than the great outdoors.

“After Ellie. I figured I’d better learn if I wanted to eat and not go broke.”

“Yeah, I got my limited knowledge after moving out of Ma’s house.”

“She gave you all her recipes though.”

“Not a one. It’s her way of keeping me coming home every Sunday night.”

Tim smiled at him and the conversation passed easily after that. At seven, Tim glanced at the clock. “Game time.”

Sean took his spot on the couch, expecting Tim to take the easy chair adjacent him. Instead Tim slid into the spot next to him. “I realized I could see the television better from here,” Tim said. “Realized a lot of things lately,” he muttered just loud enough so that Sean could catch it.

 _Here we go_ , thought Sean. _Big revelation time._

Tim picked up the remote and aimed it at the television. The broadcast was still into the pre-game. Tim cleared his throat.

“You okay?” Sean asked.

Tim kept his focus on the television. “I think I’ve figured out why I can’t have a decent relationship with women.”

 _I swear to God, Tim, if you say you’re gay, I will laugh at you._ “Why not?”

“Because I’ve been in the best relationship of my life for most of my life and I just didn’t realize that that’s what it was.”

“And when are you going to break the news to this person?”

“I just did.”

“So are we having a time of commiseration?”

“That sort of depends on you.”

“Tell me who it is and I’ll let you know how I feel about it. Is this why you called me the other night? Because you wanted to know how I felt about this woman.”

“Yes. But there’s not a woman.”

 _Oh god, he wants me to be his gay confidante. I hate him so-_ He blinked. He didn’t know when Tim started breaking the rules about personal space, but his best friend was just seconds away from…

 _Oh. Oh God. This is a monumentally terrible idea_. His body didn’t agree with that assessment as Tim kissed him.

It might have been a monumentally terrible idea and Tim had a history of those, but, in Sean’s opinion, this might have been the monumentally terrible idea that had a chance of working out.


End file.
